Gastroenterology & Hepatology

Dr. med. Henrike Dobbermann

Independent Clinical & Scientific Advisor

Bridging Clinical Evidence, Real-World Practice and Patient Needs.

I am a clinically active gastroenterologist with scientific expertise and practical experience in medical innovation. I help pharma, biotech, MedTech and digital health teams judge the clinical relevance of new therapies and technologies, and how they can work in everyday care.

Discuss a projectView advisory services
  • Board-certified in Internal Medicine & Gastroenterology
  • DGVS Innovation Prize 2023
  • First-author research on digital screening for minimal hepatic encephalopathy
Portrait of Dr. med. Henrike Dobbermann in a white coat in a hospital corridor

Clinical perspective

Bridging Hospital and Outpatient Care

I divide my clinical work equally between hospital-based and outpatient gastroenterology. This gives me direct, day-to-day experience of clinical workflows, treatment pathways, practical limitations and patient needs in both care settings.

50 %

Hospital

Hospital-based gastroenterology and hepatology

50 %

Specialist outpatient practice

Outpatient gastroenterology and hepatology

What this adds to my advisory work

Treatment pathways

How patients move between hospital and outpatient care, and where those transitions matter for a therapy.

Practical limits and workflows

What is realistic in routine care, beyond the conditions of a clinical trial.

Patient needs

How emerging therapies and digital solutions fit the patients and workflows I see in practice.

This clinical perspective complements, and never replaces, the appraisal of trial data and published evidence.

Advisory services

How I work with companies

Evidence can increasingly be searched and summarised automatically. Judging what it truly means for patient care, and whether it will work in practice, remains an expert clinical task.

A.

Clinical & Scientific Advisory

For pharmaceutical, biotech and other life sciences companies

Independent clinical assessment of emerging therapies, clinical concepts and medical innovations.

Focus areas

  • Critical appraisal of clinical trial concepts and study designs
  • Assessment of patient selection, comparators and clinical endpoints
  • Evaluation of clinical relevance and meaningful therapeutic benefit
  • Interpretation of scientific findings in the context of real-world clinical practice
  • Consideration of treatment alternatives, healthcare resources and economic implications
  • Independent specialist input for pharmaceutical, biotech and other life sciences companies

Guiding questions

  • Does the study design address the relevant clinical question?
  • Are population, comparator and endpoints appropriate?
  • Does a statistically significant result translate into meaningful clinical benefit?
  • Is the expected benefit proportionate to the resources required?

Practical background

I have designed my own research project, applied for ethics committee approval, conducted the study and compiled its results, and I have supervised doctoral students. I regularly complete GCP/AMG investigator training and have worked as a sub-investigator in clinical trials. This gives me a practical understanding of how studies are designed, run and analysed.

Independent clinical judgement. Not formal health-economic modelling, regulatory consulting, systematic evidence reviews or investment due diligence.

Enquire about this service

B.

Clinical Adoption & Patient-Centred Innovation

For MedTech, digital health and medical innovation teams

Independent clinical advisory for MedTech, digital health and medical innovation, from early product development to the refinement and implementation of existing products.

Focus areas

  • Clinical feedback during early product development
  • Assessment of medical relevance and unmet clinical needs
  • Evaluation of clinical workflows and practical usability
  • Identification of implementation challenges in hospital and outpatient settings
  • Assessment of potential barriers to physician and patient acceptance
  • Clinical feedback on prototypes and existing digital health applications
  • Advisory input for pilot projects and real-world implementation
  • Patient-centred product development

Guiding questions

  • Can this solution realistically be implemented in everyday practice?
  • Will physicians and patients find it useful and acceptable?

Practical background

I have been involved in developing and testing digital medical applications, so I know some of the challenges of turning a promising medical concept into a usable clinical solution. In routine practice I prescribe digital health applications (DiGA) and see their role in patient care first-hand.

Clinical perspective only. Not software engineering, regulatory approval or certified usability testing.

Enquire about this service

Formats: expert calls · advisory board participation · written expert opinions

Clinical expertise

Areas of Expertise

My clinical expertise is grounded in routine care in hospital and outpatient settings. It shapes how I assess trial designs, treatment pathways, implementation in practice and patient acceptance of emerging therapies and digital solutions.

  1. 01Chronic liver disease, cirrhosis and its complications
  2. 02Portal hypertension, including TIPS and patient selection, hepatic encephalopathy and ascites
  3. 03MASLD/MASH and emerging drug therapies
  4. 04Autoimmune and cholestatic liver diseases
  5. 05Viral hepatitis
  6. 06Gastroenterological disorders, ultrasound and therapeutic endoscopy
  7. 07Critical appraisal of clinical trials, new therapeutic options and guidelines, with attention to real-world applicability
  8. 08Digital health applications, from development and testing to prescription in routine care (DiGA)

Topics I have published on

  • Gerinnungsmanagement bei Patienten mit Leberzirrhose

    Coagulation management in patients with liver cirrhosis

    GastroNews2023First authorIn German

  • Ernährung bei chronischen Lebererkrankungen

    Nutrition in chronic liver disease

    Aktuelle Ernährungsmedizin2021First authorIn German

Clinical expertise

Research & Recognition

Award

Innovation Prize "Digital Gastroenterology"

German Society for Gastroenterology, Digestive and Metabolic Diseases (DGVS), September 2023 — for "App-based monitoring for patients with liver cirrhosis".

Related research: Minimal Hepatic Encephalopathy in Cirrhotic Patients: A New Simple and Fast Digital Screening Method (United European Gastroenterology Journal, 2025)

Selected publications

  1. 2025
    Minimal Hepatic Encephalopathy in Cirrhotic Patients: A New Simple and Fast Digital Screening Method. United European Gastroenterology Journal.First author2025;13(7):1194–1204 · First authorDOI
  2. 2024
    Proton pump inhibitor use and risk of hepatic encephalopathy: A multicentre study. JHEP Reports.2024;6(8):101104 · Co-author · first author: Gairing et al.DOI
  3. 2024
    Lower uromodulin serum levels are associated with poorer prognosis in patients with cirrhosis and hepatorenal syndrome type 2. American Journal of Physiology – Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology.2024;326(5):G583–G590 · Co-author · first author: Schleicher et al.DOI
  4. 2022
    Suppressed serological vitamin A in patients with liver cirrhosis is associated with impaired liver function and clinical detoriation. European Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology.2022;34(10):1053–1059 · Co-author · first author: Nagel et al.DOI
  5. 2022
    Patients Benefit from Liver Transplantation for Hepatocellular Carcinoma beyond Milan Criteria without Harming the Health Care System. Cancers (Basel).2022;14(5) · Co-author · first author: Gundlach et al.DOI
Full publication list and CV →

Clinical expertise

Professional Background

  1. Current

    Clinical work split equally: 50% hospital-based, 50% specialist outpatient gastroenterology

  2. Qualifications

    Senior physician (Oberärztin), Department of Medicine I, Sana Kliniken Lübeck · Gastroenterology practice, Lübeck · Board certification in Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology (2022) · Doctorate (Dr. med.), University of Lübeck (2016)

  3. Earlier

    Functional senior physician (Funktionsoberärztin), UKSH Campus Lübeck, Gastroenterology with focus on Hepatology (2023) · Residency in Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology, UKSH Campus Lübeck (2016–2022)

  4. Digital innovation

    Designed a liver cirrhosis app (2020–2024), including digital methods for testing hepatic encephalopathy (2021–2024) and a related study · Online calculator for hepatological scores (2021–22) · Digital educational material for patients with cirrhosis (2022–23) · Prescription of digital health applications (DiGA) in routine practice · DGVS Innovation Prize 2023

  5. Networks

    Founder of a professional network for women in hepatology (2023) · Initiator of a patient support group for liver cirrhosis (2023)

Full CV →

Contact

Enquiries for advisory projects

Please describe your project briefly by email; I will get back to you to arrange an initial conversation.

Email

contact@hepatology-advisory.com